In a sport where contracts are not guaranteed — and especially in the preseason — even players wearing the same uniform are trying to take the livelihoods of one another.

So there was no rendition of “Memories” sung by the Chicago Bears’ defensive players when they saw Kyle Orton on Sunday night at Invesco Field at Mile High.

As defensive tackle Tommie Harris put it, when asked what it was like to play against a former teammate who’s now a Broncos starter, “A quarterback is a quarterback.”

Star linebacker Brian Urlacher wasn’t quite so coldly dismissive, saying of his former teammate: “It was good to see him. I know he got hurt and I know he left the field. I hope he’s OK. I’ve played against him in practice all the time, but this was live for a change.”

Orton completed 12-of-16 passes against his former team, but the Bears did a nice job limiting the damage (96 yards) and pressured him into a couple of bad throws while winning the preseason game 27-17.

The Bears have always been known for their defense, but they might not need it to carry the team as much with Jay Cutler as Orton’s replacement.

“We’re just fortunate to have (Cutler) wearing our own uniform,” Harris said. “Jay is Mr. Consistent. He’s going to give you a great game every week. He’s very poised. Nothing rattles him.”

Urlacher said he’s as excited as he’s ever been for a season to start, with Cutler on board, but wants Chicago’s defense to continue to be a big story. He wants to make Cutler’s life as easy as he hopes Cutler can for the defense, with more breathing room on the scoreboard.

“We’re rotating a lot of guys in and out and we’re getting to the football and being aggressive,” Urlacher said. “The tackling’s not great now, but we’ll get that fixed up and when we get into our game plan for Green Bay (the season opener), it’s going to be exciting.”

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